Bring Me To Life
by neon
Summary: --FINISHED-- Can someone with devil genes in them fall in love? Jin meets an American hakke-sho/hakkyoku-ken/tae kwon do fighter, named Calleigh Phoenix. He is greatly impressed with her abilities, so he asks her to be his tag-team partner.
1. Introduction

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Title: Bring Me To Life  
**Author:** Stripped  
**Author's Note:** This is my first Tekken fic, so if you have criticism, please try to make it constructive, ok?  
**Synopsis:** Takes place during Tekken 5 (which is a tag-team tournament). Can someone with devil genes in them fall in love? Jin meets an American hakke-sho/hakkyoku-ken/tae kwon do fighter, named Calleigh Phoenix. He is greatly impressed with her abilities, so he asks her to be his tag-team partner. What else will happen?  
**Disclaimer:** If I owned Tekken, there would be a character specifically designed to be just like me (only more kickass)…so, as you can see, I don't own it.

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Introduction: Vicious Angel (JIN'S POV)

I treaded vacantly down the alley-street. Before I took another step, though, I made totally sure my eyes and hair were completely covered with the hood of my coat. Wouldn't want to be recognized, now. I'd been supremely careful since the end of the last King of Iron Fist Tournament. Yes, I, Jin Kazama, actually had a fear. Don't call the press, though, ok? But, yeah, the King of Iron Fist Four had definitely been interesting. My own father and grandfather (who I'd pretty much disowned from the King of Iron Fist Three…but that's another whole story that we'll get into later), at the time, had a target on my back. That's not always easy for someone who was only twenty-one-years-old to be going through. I had made many feeble attempts to push that to the back of my head, so I could continue his training system, but of course, it rarely worked. _Walking through dark allies is quite the way to prepare yourself for a battle with any Mishima, or at least I hope so, for my sake…_I laughed to myself, as I turned the corner. Apparently, my ears weren't as sharp as they could be, because the second I rounded the corner, I heard a feminine yell, that could have been heard from a hundred feet away.

Contrary to what I originally thought, she wasn't being beaten, though. She was the one delivering the punishment. Many series' of chops and kicks sent this poor guy she was beating flying against the wall. I wanted to say something, but I was too surprised by her quick moves. It was like she was something out of a Jackie Chan movie, only she was right here. "Ahem, excuse me?" I cleared my throat. I heard my thick Japanese accent, and wanted to choke my words right back down. I hated that accent.

When I brought attention to the fact that I was there, she was in mid-kick, and then she looked toward me, causing herself to miss her target by two feet. She groaned as she hit the ground, then rolled over and scurried to her feet as quickly as she could, returning to fighting stance. "What do you want?" she seemed annoyed.

"To see if anything was wrong here?" I explained, while pulling my hood over my head a little more, so all you could see was a shadow where my face would be. As soon as those words escaped my lips, I realized that was the stupidest thing I could've said. "I heard you yell, and I was just wondering-…"

"Oh, no…everything's just peachy and great…thank you for asking, Mr.…" she paused, waiting for me to reply.

"K…just call me Mr. K," I grinned in the shadow of my hood. "And, no, obviously everything's not fine, or else you wouldn't be kicking the shit out of this poor shmo…" I laughed a little.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious…" she rolled her eyes. "And, if you're going to be going by Mr. K, you can call me Miss P…" she told me, holding back her attacker with just one hand.

"Ok, then…why are you fighting with this guy in the first place, Miss P?" I asked, wondering why the guy hadn't said a word to me in his defense. "Did he hurt you, or bother you, or something?"

"He harassed me…" she explained. "Kept doing cat calls all the way down the street, then followed me into the alley."

"That was a bad idea…" I looked from 'Miss P' to the mystery harasser. "Do you think you've learned your lesson?" I asked him.

"Don't mess with a chick, just because she's hot?" the guy, who looked about twice Miss P's and my age, scoffed.

I rolled my eyes at him, and looked at Miss P. "Why don't you let him go…?" I suggested, gently, knowing that more than likely, it wouldn't work. 

She rolled her eyes. "Will you leave me alone?" she asked, looking at the poor guy, who was scared halfway insane. Once he nodded, she moved her hand from his head, said, "Get out of here…" and watched him scurry off like a squirrel. "Now, what's your real name?" she turned her attention to me.

"My real name is…" I mumbled '_Jin Kazama'_ under my breath. "And yours?"

"Well, jnkzma…" she mocked me. "I'll be honest, and not mumble, unlike you. My name is Calleigh Phoenix," she smiled. "And, thank you for showing up…I may have killed him, and I don't exactly consider living out of a cell a fun life…"

__

Calleigh Phoenix? I asked myself. _She seems way too nice to be related to the person I know with the last name Phoenix. _I pushed the idea right out of my head, laughed at Calleigh's joke, and moved my hood so that she could make out the shape of my eyes and the color of my hair. That was more of my face than I'd revealed to anyone, recently. I figured this was probably the nicest American I would meet, so I had to take advantage of this opportunity. Plus, she wouldn't recognize me off that little of my face…

~~

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Do I continue? Yes or no? If so, next chapter will be Calleigh's POV.

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__

How can you see into my eyes like open doors?  
Leading you down into my core where I've become so numb.  
Without a soul, my spirit's sleeping somewhere cold,  
Until you find it there and lead it back home.

[Chorus:] (Wake me up) Wake me up inside,  
(I can't wake up) Wake me up inside.   
(Save me) Call my name and save me from the dark.   
(Wake me up) Bid my blood to run,  
(I can't wake up) Before I come undone.  
(Save me) Save me from the nothing I've become.

Now that I know what I'm without you can't just leave me.  
Breathe into me and make me real…bring me to life.

[Chorus]

Bring me to life.   
I've been living a lie, there's nothing inside.   
Bring me to life.

Frozen inside without your touch, without your love, darling.  
Only you are the life among the dead.  
All of this sight, I can't believe I couldn't see  
Kept in the dark but you were there in front of me.  
I've been sleeping a 1000 years it seems;  
I've got to open my eyes to everything.  
Without a thought, without a voice, without a soul   
Don't let me die here…there must be something wrong.  
Bring me to life.

[Chorus]

Bring me to life.  
I've been living a lie…there's nothing inside…  
Bring me to life  
**~~ 'Bring Me To Life' – Evanescence ~~**


	2. Chapter One

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Author's Note: I already know what I'm going to make happen, more or less, but I just want to know if you think I should have Jin and Calleigh win or lose the tournament? I mean, losing would be an interesting twist, yes, but winning would fit into the plot. Conformity…yes, no…maybe?

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Chapter One: Getting To Know You (CALLEIGH'S POV)

Now, I'd been known to jump the gun at times… Calleigh Phoenix, the 'leap before you look' girl…but never anything like this. Before I even knew this guy's name…or even what he looked like, he'd already entranced me. I merely knew him as 'jnkzma,' since that's what he mumbled to me. But, he just had this allure about him; maybe it was the mystery of not knowing who he was? I couldn't have told you at that very second, but after spending some time with him, I quickly got the gist of what it was. "So…Mr. K…" I grinned a little, continuing to call him that, rather than the confusing pronunciation of jnkzma. "What's with the mysterious grim reaper hood?"

He shrugged, and in an adorable Japanese accent, said, "It's to make girls like you ask why. That's the only way I ever get any conversation with women, so…it works…" I saw the shadow of a wink, as he walked back around the corner.

I laughed a little. "No, come on…seriously…" I followed him. "I think the whole air of mystery thing is cool…maybe I should go around town in a trench coat and shades…" I watched him pull his hood back over his eyes as we approached the busy road. At that second, I got the point...he didn't want to be recognized. "Hey…where are you headed, anyway?"

"Are all you American women this nosey?" he asked, turning around and looking at me. I could hear it in his voice that he was smiling. "I mean, really…first you want my name, then you want to know about my coat…now you want to know where I'm going?" he laughed a little. "You think I want you to stalk me?"

I shrugged, and smiled a little. "I was just wondering…because if it was toward Hill-Crest Pass…I know a shortcut, and it's through the woods, where no one else goes," I explained. "And you seem like a very private guy, so I figured…"

He took a few steps toward me, then loosened his hood from around his face a little, so I could see the shadow of a smile across his face. "I'm staying at the beginning of Hill-Crest Pass…" he told me, then tapped his foot, waiting for me to lead the way.

"Before I take you, you have to tell me at least your first name…" I bribed him, knowing that if he was as personal a guy as he was making it seem, he'd tell me, to get onto the shortcut. 

He laughed a little. "Ok, Miss Persistent…my first name is Jin…" he told me, waiting for me to show him the way to my shortcut.

I smiled wide, and started to walk. "You coming?" I asked, watching him stand there. "It's almost dark, and that's when all the creeps and psychos come out…" I smiled a little. "And look! Here are two now…their names are Calleigh Phoenix and Jin…Jin something…!" I pointed at the two of us.

Jin grinned. I could see his smile clearly, because the light was hitting his face just right. There are no words to describe a smile like that, at least none in my vocabulary. "Sorry to keep you waiting, oh Princess of the Shortcut…" he walked up to me. "Shall we go?"

"Lets…" I smiled, leading Jin to the path that curved toward Hill-Crest Pass. "You get to see the scenic route!"

He slowly took his hood down, but kept just enough hair in his face, to keep his eyes secretive. "So, tell me…have you ever thought of entering any fighting tournaments?" he asked. "You have some pretty good moves…you practice Hakke-Sho, right?" he asked me, seeming interested in my answer. "I recognize that from some of the tournaments I've been to…"

"Add a little Hakkyoku-Ken and tae kwon do…and you have my entire fighting style…" I explained to him. "But, what about fighting tournaments?" I was truly interested. My father, Paul Phoenix (who was a judo fighter of sorts) had kept me away from the fighting scene. He'd dismissed tournaments that he'd gone to as 'business trips,' even though I knew what they really were. In a way, though, they were sort of business trips. That was really the only way we got money into the house. "What kind of fighting styles are allowed?" If he'd let me enter any of the tournaments, I'd have loved to…but he apparently didn't think I was a skilled enough fighter.

"All…my family has their own kind of fighting style, but I dropped that recently, and took up traditional karate…" I could tell that he was thinking he'd told me too much. "But in each tournament, there are so many different fighting styles…Aikido, kick boxing, Capoeira…you name it…"

"Even vale tudo?" I asked, curiously. I knew so much about martial arts and self-defense, I bet I could have listed him every self-defense tactic there was. "One of my cousins wanted to be the ultimate vale tudo fighter…"

"Yeah, there was a vale tudo fighter in the last tournament I went to…" he told me, smiling wide, knowing that he'd gotten me interested. "His name was Craig M-something…" he thought, trying to remember the name. "Craig M…Marduk?" 

"What tournaments do you go to?" I asked, wanting to get into the freestyle tournament-fighting scene. "Like, what are the names?"

"Ever heard of The King of Iron Fist Tournaments?" he asked me, looking like he knew my answer.

"No," I replied. "My father keeps me out of that scene…I'm not allowed to ask him anything about his tournaments, or else I'm in huge trouble…"

Apparently, this wasn't the answer he was expecting. He immediately stopped in his tracks, and gave me the most shocked look I'd ever seen. "Whoa…we need to get you trained. If you're half as good of a fighter as you were back there, you'd be awesome as my tag-team partner for King of Iron Fist Five…"

I gave Jin a blank look. "Ok, first of all, I don't want to die at the age of nineteen, and second of all, what's King of Iron Fist?" I asked, leaning against a tree, expecting a long explanation.

"It's just a tournament…people from all over the world come to try to be the ultimate fighting champion, or the King of Iron Fist…" he explained to me, sitting on a rock on the opposite side of the path.

I crossed my arms and thought for a minute. "And there's such a thing as a tag-team battle? Maybe I'll think about that, Jin…" I smiled across the path at him.

*

After a little while of silent walking, Jin stopped and I could have sworn I heard him sigh. "This is where I get off, Calleigh…"

"You live at Jun Kazama's old place?" I asked, suddenly getting the hint. "Oh, you're Jun's son?" I looked away from him for a second, processing the name in my head. "Jin Kazama? That sounds so familiar from somewhere…" I looked back at where Jin was standing before, but he wasn't there. "Jin?" I called, then looked toward the house, to see Jin in a steady run, away from me. "Ok…see ya around, then…" I sighed, turned and walked home. Again, I lose a friend because my brain works too quickly. I stared at the house, hoping Jin would come back out, and follow me home, but it wasn't happening.


	3. Chapter Two

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Chapter Two: The Fates Play With My Mind (JIN'S POV)

I just ran. It was all I could think of. She probably thought I was the biggest loser in the world, but I just ran. Plus, she had the last name Phoenix, and if she was any relation to Paul Phoenix, she was not on my good list. But, no matter what I did, I couldn't get her out of my head. That smile, and the look in her eyes when she laughs? I could barely think. Mother wasn't home, so I took the opportunity to train for the tournament. But without Calleigh, I was still without a partner. I looked out the window. There she was…still walking down the road. She looked upset. Did she think she'd done something wrong? I had to follow her, and be inconspicuous about it. I pulled my hood all the way over my head and dashed out the side door.

Luckily for me, training and practicing karate is a great leg-muscle workout, so I was there in a flash. She looked so upset. I felt bad, but I couldn't just jump out from the bushes and apologize. I bet you anything if I'd done that, she'd have turned around and hit me with the hardest one-two-punch I'd ever felt in my life, out of fear, of course. I had to wait until the time was right, then apologize. For now, I was just going to follow her. She walked on for about a half mile, and then turned into the driveway of a small, cozy, two-story house. It looked like something out of a movie, really. There were two cars in the driveway, and one looked like it hadn't been used in almost a year. The other one was kept in top shape, but looked well used.

I watched Calleigh, contently, until she opened the door and I saw none other than Paul Phoenix, who she immediately hugged, and gave a kiss on the cheek. She was a Paul descendant…and it wasn't just a coincidence. She seemed so different from him, though. Not so stuck up, and she wasn't nearly as mean. I sighed, turned around and went back home. Maybe I'd go back later, and throw pinecones at her window. Now, that would be a lot like a movie. I sighed, and came out of the woods to walk back home.

The back way seemed a lot lonelier now. Maybe it was because the dark was quickly approaching, or maybe it was because the wind rustling the trees made me think of solitude for some reason…or maybe it was because I was really alone. And I mean really alone. No one knew me for who I was…and I don't think anyone cared, either. I looked on either side of me, and pulled my hood over my face a little more. Even though no one was there, you never really know. The Mishimas' could have spies out for me, or something…it wouldn't surprise me at all, really. 

I came back to my house, and once I got there, I sighed again. Now that I really thought about it, I was really alone. I shouldn't have pushed Calleigh away like that. She was actually trying to get to know me. I looked back, hoping that by some happenstance, Calleigh had decided to follow me home, like I had with her. Of course not…that's my luck. I walked around to the backyard, and took my frustration out on my training-dummy. A few swift punches and kicks to that thing, and I'd feel so much better…I knew I would. But I wound up staying out there until way after dark. _Whoa…_I thought. _I must have had way more cooped up anger than I thought..._

I debated in my mind, whether or not to do what I really wanted to do at the moment. I wanted to go see Calleigh, but I wondered if it was a good idea. Risk seeing Paul, or risk never seeing Calleigh again…which was the greater loss? In all honesty, it kind of went without saying, but at that time, I was ignorant, and going through a tough time, so I wasn't thinking straight. Eventually, though, I came to the right decision, and turned to walk toward Calleigh's house. The moon lit the night up perfectly. You could see the entire road, and once you got within three hundred feet of Calleigh's house, you could see it; while on a regular night, you couldn't even see a light in the window from that distance. Were the fates trying to tell me something? I met Calleigh, and then a perfect night like this came along? Either I was supposed to be doing this, I was supposed to learn something from this, or destiny was toying with me.

I saw Calleigh looking out a window, and I hoped that she was alone in the room, then picked up a small pinecone, and threw it softly at the window. At first, Calleigh jumped, then the looked down at the ground, to see me standing there. I saw her turn the other way, as though she were looking to see if anyone was coming, then she opened the window. "Jin? Is that you?" she asked softly, in almost a whisper. It was so silent out, though, that I heard her as clear as a bell.

"Yeah…can you come down?" I asked. All of a sudden, I saw Paul coming to another window, so I ducked into the shadows. _I've been spending a lot of time in the shadows lately,_ I pointed out to myself. _Am I some sort of shadow person? _I peered around the corner, just as Paul was walking away, and looked back up at Calleigh, who had closed her window. I picked up another small pinecone, and gently threw it at her window.

She reopened it, looked down at me, and whispered softly, "What happened…are you ok?"

I nodded, and repeated what I had said. "Do you think you can come down? I'll get a crick in my neck with too much of this…" I laughed softly, and hoped to myself she could come down.

She looked the other way for a second, and signaled for me to go back into the shadows. "Uh, no, dad…I'm not talking to anyone…I'm just singing to myself, and looking out the window. You can go to bed now…" she explained to Paul.

I rushed back into the shadows, and listened closely for her to call me back out. After a minute or so, I heard her call. "Jin? Are you still there?" she called for me, looking out the window again.

I came back out of the shadows. "So, how long before I have to go back into hiding this time?" I asked, a grin forming on my face. "Because, if I have to, I wanna be prepared…" I explained, getting ready to take off into a run at any second.

"You don't, I'm coming down…" she pulled the screen in from the window. "Do me a favor…on the side of the house you were hiding out at…there's a ladder…could you grab it for me?" she laughed softly to herself. "I thought I got over the whole sneaking out thing when I graduated…I guess not."

I laughed, and rushed around the house to get the ladder. I set it up to her window, and steadied it so she wouldn't fall while walking down it. When she got close enough to the bottom, I lifted her off the ladder, and placed her onto the ground. "Want me to put this away?" I asked her, moving the ladder from the window.

"Yeah, I'll wait right here…" she smiled at me. That smile could kill, I swear it. I had a huge smile on my face as I brought the ladder around to the side of the house.

I came back, and Calleigh was sitting on the doorstep waiting for me. "So, where are we going?" I asked, as always, letting the lady choose the destination.

"Just a walk would be nice…" she stood up, smiling sincerely. "We could talk, and stuff…" she took a couple steps toward me. "We could walk along the river, or something? I spend a lot of my time there…I could show you my favorite spot…"

I nodded, smiling wide as I could. "I'd like that…" I waited for her to lead the way, knowing this would be a night to remember…

~~

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Next Chapter: Calleigh'S POV.


	4. Chapter Three

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Chapter Three: A Night To Remember (Calleigh'S POV)

It had been silent for a few seconds. I'll be completely honest, Jin had surprised me by coming to my window that night…but he had shown up, and now we were walking through the woods together. I had almost completely forgotten what had happened earlier, and even if I remembered, I wasn't about to ruin the perfect moment I had going on with trite trivialities. 

I smiled as we came to the river, and the trees thinned out. I loved the river in the middle of spring. This was the most beautiful time of year. Everything was in perfect color, and all the flowers seemed to mix beautifully with the whole scene. I looked back to see Jin following me closely, and paying attention to every step I took. His hood still covered his face, but I didn't care. He was here, I was here…that was really all that mattered, or at least to me it was. I don't think I had been this happy in a long time. It seemed as though Jin had looked past the fact that my dad was a really scary judo fighter. I probably would have understood better, why he wasn't scared, if I'd seen him fight.

You could see about a billion stars in the sky, and the moon was right over our heads, as we turned a corner along a brick wall. I could feel the tension in the air, as we moved along. Neither one of us wanted to talk, in fear of saying something stupid, so we continued walking in silence. I led him across a log, that had fallen over the river and then to a large rock, which seemed to be leaning against a tree. Deciding to break the silence, I said, "I usually need a little help getting up here, but it seems as though my footstool has disappeared." I looked to the ground, where there used to be another fallen log, just large enough to boost me to the rock, but now there was nothing.

Jin nonchalantly jumped up and grabbed the top of the rock, pulled himself up, then reached down to pull me up. "Need a hand?" he asked, showing me a distinct smile.

I grabbed his hand, and he pulled me up onto the rock. "Thanks…" I told him as he sat down. "Um, Jin…we're not there yet…" I explained to him, as I jumped up and grabbed a high branch on the tree. "We have climbing to do…" I pulled myself onto the branch, then looked down at Jin, who was giving me a blank look. I laughed, then started to talk like a cave-woman. "Calleigh and Jin climb tree, find special place…"

Jin laughed at me. "Ok, cave-Calleigh, thank you for the play-by-play…" he stood up, and grabbed the branch, climbing up the tree behind me. "How often do you come out here?"

I reached up for another branch, then pulled myself onto it, then looked back down at Jin. "I used to come out every day, but now not as often. I really should, though…when we get to where we're going, you'll see why," I explained, coming to a stop on a four-foot-long, one and a half foot thick branch, just large enough to hold two people, with maybe a foot and a half to spare. "Here we are…" The view from that spot was, as usual, absolutely incredible. Straight ahead of us was a clearing, just big enough for a large cluster of stars to be seen, and the moon was slowly rising into the clearing. I felt like the luckiest girl in the world to be sitting there with someone like Jin. I looked to my right to Jin, who was staring at the clearing, shaking his head in disbelief of the sheer beauty ahead of us. "It's amazing, isn't it?" I asked him, sitting down on the branch.

He sat down about a foot away from me, his eyes not leaving the scene ahead of us. "Yeah, it is…" he actually seemed far more interested than the last person I'd brought there had seemed. It was great to see that someone actually shared my interest in the world around me. "I feel like I'm in a movie or something…it's really amazing, Calleigh…" 

I grinned contently, then stared out to the sky myself. "I'm glad someone will appreciate it with me…everyone else I've brought out here seems to think I'm insane and a starry-eyed, stargazing moron." I wished I could see Jin's eyes, but his hood was still covering them. I was willing to bet I'd see more stars in those eyes than I could in any patch of sky. I was doing it again; leaping before I looked. _What if he has no interest in me whatsoever? What if I am playing myself even thinking that someone like him could have the slightest bit of interest in someone like me?_ I asked myself, with a deep sigh.

My train of thought was quickly interrupted by Jin, who said, "No, I think it's important to be able to stare at the stars, and not see something scientific. If everyone thought that way, imagine how boring the world would be?" he asked, as he turned toward me for the first time since we'd sat down on the branch.

I grinned, remembering saying nearly the exact same thing to my father two nights prior to this, while we were sitting on the back porch. His response? "Stargazing is for teenyboppers. You're nineteen, Calleigh, grow up, and get a hobby…your mother was just like you. She was always stargazing and going on and on about the beauty of the world around us…" Then, he went into some huge deal about my mother, and how she'd been before she got pregnant with me.

"I know what you mean…" I flashed Jin huge smile. "I wouldn't like to live in a world like that, really. If I ever change to some freakish scientist person, who can't see the world for the dream it is, do me a favor and give me a huge uppercut to the jaw?" I laughed, and put my hands on either side of me.

Jin shook his head, but let out a small laugh. "I'll call you on it, yes, but not hit you…" he sighed, and looked like he were in deep thought. He paused for a second, then as calmly as he could, took his hood down.

I looked at him, and almost did a double take, but decided not to. I didn't want to look too suspicious. A smile crept across my lips. Did this mean he trusted me? Or, just that he was uncomfortable in his hood? I didn't care, really…those eyes were enough to send someone into delusion. How could HE, of ALL people be a Mishima descendant? I'd seen pictures of Heihachi Mishima and Kazuya Mishima, and frankly, they weren't all that easy on the eyes. 

"So," Jin looked at me again, and I almost melted. "Your father didn't even let you ASK him about any tournaments?" he asked. "I mean, has he ever seen you fight before? I bet if he'd seen you practice, his outlook would change."

I shook my head. "I'll have to sneak off, and just leave a note or something…unless he goes to the tournament, too…then I'll have to hide. Because I am coming with you, no matter what…" I told him, smiling. I'd always wondered what it would be like to risk my freedom for something. Here was my chance. "So, do we need to train together, or something?"

He nodded. "Is that cool with you?" he asked, holding out his hand for me to shake.

I shook his hand and nodded. Bada-bing, there it was…a consolidated partnership. "That's definitely cool with me…" I was going to be seeing a lot of Jin Kazama, not that it bothered me in the least…

~~

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Next Chapter: Blown It Again (JIN'S POV)  
(Blown It Again is the title of a Daniel Bedingfield song…)


	5. Chapter Four

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Chapter Four: Honest Questions – Part One (JIN'S POV – Based on a Daniel Bedingfield song…I changed the song from what I'd initially had planned, because this song fist so much better. And, next chapter will also be based on this song, it's kinda a continuance thing. By the way, this is going to be a kind of short chapter, because it's 3:00am, and I'm tired as hell.)

I trusted someone again, and it felt great. Calleigh just had this comforting nature about her; it made me feel like I could tell her practically anything, and not be judged. And when I was around her, I felt like it took everything inside me not to tell her everything…all about my past horrors, the devil gene, my family's problems (many, many problems), just everything. Of course, she would have no idea what to say about it all. Even I myself didn't know at times. But she seemed truly interested in anything I said, which was really refreshing, considering I always had a lot to say, even though I was really careful who I said it to. You never know who you can trust, and who you can't. That's the main thing I hate about the world today. Your friends are only your friends when they want to be, and otherwise, you're dirt on their shoe.

But that night, as I put the ladder up to Calleigh's window, I felt more than trust take me over. I don't know what had come over me. I really hadn't felt like this before. My heart was tingling, and my lips wouldn't come out of a smile. Calleigh had been the first person I'd revealed my face to in months, and she hadn't turned away like I expected her to. Yes, there was something special about Calleigh Phoenix, and it was inevitable for me. At twenty-one, I think I was falling in love for the first time, as crazy as it sounded. She climbed through her window, and waved goodbye to me, as I took the ladder from the windowsill. I waved back at her, my lips still unable to form anything but a smile, and brought the ladder back to the other side of the house. _I think I just had the best night of my life…_I told myself, smiling. _Not only that, but it was with the best girl I've ever met in my life…Kazama, you're a lucky guy…_

~~

About two months had passed since I'd met Calleigh, and we had been training rigorously ever since. She was an ever better fighter and I'd thought…she was both strong and fast, unlike her father, who only had strength on his side. She pulled off so many moves that many people only thought existed in those cheesy kung-fu movies. No, I don't mean the 'a million flips in a row' move, I mean powerful kicks and punches, which could send someone flying. Believe me, I know…while training with the arm-guards, she kicked me a little too hard, and she sent me about three feet back away from her. I was surprised at first, but then grinned at her to reassure her that I was ok. She was definitely strong, that was a sure thing.

But on this particular day, I think she was having an off day. She had been practicing one move, an 'x marks the spot' as she calls it, where she raises and lowers her arms in an 'x' motion, and for the life of her, she couldn't get it right. She got angry, screamed an earsplitting scream and kicked the sandbag to her left so hard it burst open. Next thing I knew, she was sitting on the floor, throwing a conniption. My eyes were as wide as could be, and I was wondering if she was okay. She looked like she had just lost the biggest battle of her life. It was sad, really.

"Calleigh?" I approached her slowly, in fear of becoming a clone of the sandbag. "Are you ok?"

She glared up at me, as though she thought I should know the answer. "Yes, Jin…I'm fine, really I am…" she sarcastically stated. "Thank you for your concern, now if you'll excuse me, I will return to the move I've been trying all damn day to perfect. Very unsuccessfully, mind you!"

I took a step back and threw my hands up. "Sorry…you want a drink? I'm going in to get some water, and I thought maybe you'd like some?" I asked, before I turned to go inside. I knew how it felt to want to kill someone when I couldn't do a move right, so I shoved her attitude off my shoulder.

"No, thank you anyway…" she snapped, and went back to trying to perfect her move. She again failed, and stomped on the ground as hard as she could. "Ok, I give up…next move…" she sighed. "Ah, I know I can do this…sunset fan…" she leaned forward, and spun her hands in circles in a fan-like motion.

I sighed, as I turned the water tap on. I got a feeling in my gut that something bad was about to happen, and then turned around to look outside. Calleigh was collapsed on the ground in a heap, crying. I was afraid that something had happened to her, so I rushed out of the house and to her side, as quickly as I could. "Calleigh? Are you ok?" I asked, kneeling down beside her. "What happened?"

"I hate this damn move…I went back to trying to do the 'x marks the spot,' and I over-rotated it…" she cried. "Maybe I'm not worthy of fighting beside you…I mean, you're so-…"

I interrupted her. "You're a great fighter, Calleigh. Keep trying, and I bet you anything you'll get it right…" I told her, putting my hand on her shoulder. "Come on…let's practice with the arm guards…see if you can send me flying again…" I knew that after she knew I was ok, she found that sending me flying was fun. I reached over and grabbed the arm guards.

She smiled a little. "How can you have so much confidence in me? You've only seen me fight once, really…" she wiped her eyes, and stood up. "What if when I'm faced with a threatening person, I chicken out, and run off crying like a baby?"

I put the arm guards on, and went into blocking stance. "Why don't you practice some hakkyoku-ken?" I asked. "You need a little more practice at that than anything else, and don't take that the wrong way…"

"I didn't…and I think I will," she cracked her knuckles, then began to punch and kick. She was exceptional at her arts, and even if she had a couple imperfections, the fact that she was as good as she was amazed me. Her strength and agility were very much beyond anything I'd seen.

After a little while of practice, she took out her arm guards, and put them on. "Why don't you practice for a bit? I'm getting tired, and a tired hakkyoku-ken fighter is not good. You need to be on the ball, man…" she flashed me the smile that could melt me into a puddle on the ground.

I grinned a little, and took off my arm guards. "Why don't we just take a break? You need water…and I know you do, so don't lie," I stuck my tongue out at her.

"Fine," she stuck her tongue out at me, too. "Why don't we take a lunch break, and go hang out at the tree…" she suggested, her smile turning to a grin. "It may not be as pretty during the day, but it's still there…"

"That sounds like a plan…" I nodded in agreement. We had been spending a lot of time at the tree lately. It was like that was where we went to escape everything. I was beyond glad she had brought me there to begin with. We turned to go inside to get lunch, then go to the tree.

~~

****

Next Chapter: **Honest Questions Part Two (Calleigh'S POV)**

~~

__

Can you see the honest questions in my heart this hour?  
I'm opening like a flower to the rain,   
And do you know, the silent sorrows of a never ending journey through the pain?  
Do you see a brighter day for me? Another day, a day?  
Do you wonder what's in store for me? The cure for me, the way?  
Oh, look down, and see the tears I've cried,  
The lives I've lived, the deaths I've died.  
You died them too, and all for me, you say:  
"I will pour my water down upon a thirsty barren land,  
And streams will flow from the dust of your bruised and broken soul.  
You will grow, like the grass on the fertile plains of Asia,  
By the streams of living water, you will grow, oh you will grow."   
~~ 'Honest Questions' – Verse One – Written and sung by Daniel Bedingfield' ~~


	6. Chapter Five

****

Chapter Five: Honest Questions Part Two (**Calleigh**'S POV)

__

Thank you so much for the feedback. I'm glad to know that you like the story. I have a couple things to tell you at the end of the chapter. **HAPPY NEW YEAR, ALL! **And, in case you hadn't noticed, I changed the original character's name to Calleigh from Alison. There is a reason, but you'll probably think it's stupid.

~~

Never before in my life had one person amazed me as much as Jin had over the past month. I couldn't stop thinking about him, and if, by chance, I did for even a split second, my mind somehow managed to get back to him. He understood me, and everything about me. And, no matter how discouraged I was, he always told me I could do anything. He was like my own private children's TV show, all wrapped within a five-foot-nine, well built body. Now, that's the kind of children's TV show I want on the air. He helped me train, and I'd gotten almost everything down pat…and he wasn't going to give up on me until I could do everything I wanted to. I loved that.

Sure, Jin was great as a coach, but as a friend, he was a million times better. He was so much fun to be around, and his personality matched mine almost perfectly, with a few things to give us the perfect amount of contrast. He comforted me when I was down, laughed with me when I was up, and I felt so good when I was around him. It was like the comfort that you get when you know you can trust someone with your life, or something like that. We'd never referred to each other as the other's best friend, but I don't think it needed to be communicated. It was one of those unspoken companionships that everyone around you could just see.

Everything wasn't always perfect, though. My father hated Jin with a passion, so I needed to hide the fact that he was my friend. I'd briefly mentioned his name in conversation one day, and my father nearly ripped my head off. It baffled me how anyone could hate someone as compassionate and caring as Jin Kazama, but I guess my father hadn't had the opportunity to see his gentle side. He probably only knew him from tournaments. Something he'd mumbled the other day had bothered me, though. He'd said something about Kazuya Mishima, Jin's father, being the devil. I shrugged it off as my father's ignorance, though, and just rolled my eyes.

It was odd, though, because I felt like Jin was hiding something serious from me, and I wanted to know what it was. I wasn't going to bug him, though, because I didn't want to risk losing him as a friend due to my curiosity.

~~

He once again pulled me onto the rock, due to my shortness, and we climbed to the branch, then started to eat lunch. "I don't understand what I'm doing wrong, though. Normally I can pull off all those moves, without a hitch, too!" I complained, before taking a drink of water.

"Don't give up, Calleigh…you're a really good fighter, and you know it. You're just having a bad week, that's all…" he sounded like a cheesy moral session on the end of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood.

I flashed him a dismayed glance. "Jin…don't ever do that again," I pleaded with him. "I think you've been watching too much Sesame Street, or something…" I laughed, then looked at Jin, who was wide eyed. "Ooh, did I hit a nerve? Does Jin need his educational TV?"

Jin gently shoved me. "No, I don't," he stuck his tongue out. "Not until I have a kid, anyway…" he snorted a laugh, and then his face turned solemn. "But, yeah…anyway, what's up?" he changed the subject.

I hated that. Whenever we got into a conversation about family, whether it be past, present, future or wishes, he'd always say a sentence or two then change the subject. I normally chose to shrug it off, but today, for some reason, it made me extremely angry. I shook my head and looked away from him.

"What's the matter, Calleigh?" he asked, putting his hand gently on my shoulder. I hated getting mad at him, because he always made me feel awful about it by being caring and sympathetic.

I shook my head. "Nothing, nothing…it's no big deal," I shook my head. "Don't worry about it," I had always been a terrible liar. Everyone could see right through me, and it made me mad.

Apparently, Jin could see through me, too. He just gave me a condescending glance, trying to make me tell him what was on my mind. "Come on, Calleigh. You know you can always tell me what's up. That's what I'm here for!" he tried to comfort me. Normally he could have, but right now, I was really angry. Angrier than I'd been since I'd met him. Normally it was him that cheered me up, but not this time.

"You wanna know what's wrong? I'll tell you, then. I tell you everything. Maybe sometimes reluctantly, but I DO tell you EVERYTHING, and what do you tell me? NOTHING! And when I try to bring something up you could tell me, you change the subject!" I glared angrily at Jin, who seemed slightly unprepared for my attitude change. "I don't HAVE to tell you everything, but I do!"

Jin may have been surprised at my tone, but he didn't seem at all surprised by the subject of my complaint. "You're right about one thing, you don't have to tell me everything…" he was a lot calmer than I thought he'd be. "But you do anyway, and I appreciate that a lot, but unlike you, Calleigh, I'm not an open book."

I took a lot of offense to that. I was not an open book. There were very many people that I knew that didn't know a damn thing about me, and the fact that he'd even think that I was an open book made me even angrier. "I am not an open book, damn it!" I scoffed, my eyes narrowing. "How can you say that?"

"You tell me a lot about you, so I assumed everyone knew what I knew," he sighed. He had the lowest self-esteem in the world. I don't think he thought anyone could trust him more than they trusted anyone else.

Even though I was mad, I felt terrible for him because of that. "Jin, I tell you more than I tell anyone else. I would entrust you with my life, and I wouldn't even do that with my father. It bugs me that you don't trust me like that…"

He sighed deeply. "You wanna know about me? Ok, I'll tell you…" From that sigh, and the tone in his voice, I knew I was in for a hell of a night…

~~

__

Do you know my story from the start?  
And do you know my like you've always told me?  
Do you see the whispers in my heart against your kindness?  
My eternal blindness, do you see?  
Do you see a brighter day for me? Another day, a day?  
Do you wonder what's in store for me? The cure for me, the way?  
Oh, look down, and see the tears I've cried,  
The lives I've lived, the deaths I've died.  
You died them too, and all for me, you say:  
"I will pour my water down upon a thirsty barren land,  
And streams will flow from the dust of your bruised and broken soul.  
You will grow, like the grass on the fertile plains of Asia,  
By the streams of living water, you will grow, oh you will grow."  
~~ 'Honest Questions' – Verse Two – Written and sung by Daniel Bedingfield ~~


	7. Chapter Six

****

Chapter Six: Disease (JIN'S POV, Inspired by a Matchbox 20 song)  
_Author's Note: In this story, Nina is still out for Jin's blood, as are Heihachi, Kazuya (duh) and Hwoarang._

~~

Calleigh was a wonderful girl, really she was. She was just getting on my nerves. I do care a lot about her, but I am not an open book. "You wanna know about me? Ok, I'll tell you…" I said, a little more snappily than I meant to. In my mind, I was debating on whether or not to tell her about the devil gene. I decided she wasn't ready to hear about that yet, so I went through every other detail of my life. "Two people, Hwoarang and Nina Williams are out to kill me, every time I come near them, it's like that have some other ploy to take me down. But, it wouldn't bother me so much if it were just them. If that all isn't enough, my grandfather and my FATHER…my own damn flesh and blood, are out for me, too. My mother is dead, and the only relatives I have, like I said are out to kill me!" I felt tears coming to my eyes, but had to force them away. I had to remain strong at all costs. I couldn't let Calleigh see me like this. She knew me as a strong person, and if I let my guard down for even a second, that high thought of me in her mind might diminish. I didn't want that to happen.

The hardness had disappeared, and I saw the purest and kindest sympathy coming through Calleigh's eyes. She looked at me, and the smile that usually graced her face had disappeared. She could tell that I was on the verge of tears. Slowly and gently, she put her arms around me in the nicest hug I'd had since my mother had died. At first, I didn't want to hug her back, because it was her fault I was upset like this in the first place. If she hadn't made me tell her, I'd still be smiling and happy, but then again, it felt so good to get it all off my chest. I wrapped my arms around her, and hugged her back. All of a sudden, I felt the tears become too overwhelming to hold back. I sobbed uncontrollably on Calleigh's shoulder, and all the while, while most people would be telling me it was ok, she just told me that it sucked, and she knew it did. I would have replied, but all I could do at the moment was gush. And she made me feel like it was ok. That made me love her all the more.

"Jin, I'm so sorry. I should have never asked. If I had known I would make you cry…" she tilted her head to the left onto mine, which was lying on her shoulder.

"No, I think I needed this…" I lifted my head, then placed my hands on her arms. "Thank you so much for being here for me, Calleigh. I feel so much better, knowing that I have a friend that won't turn away."

"Never…" she had the most amazing look in her eyes at that moment. I could tell she meant every word of what she had just said. "I'm always here for you, Jin Kazama. You're never getting rid of me."

It was so easy to lose myself when she was around. Those blue-green eyes held such depth; it would make the ocean cower in jealousy. One glance from those eyes, and I was at her command. I didn't know yet whether that was a good thing or not. I placed a hand on her cheek. Porcelain skin…dark peach, porcelain skin…covered her. The most amazing, shiny, soft, sandy-blonde hair poured down from her head like a golden waterfall. I could barely speak in her presence, but I managed to choke out, "You really mean that?"

"Of course I do, Jin. You can always count on me, ok?" she asked, the tone of her voice soft and gentle. It was almost as though my tears caused her to cry, because tears filled her eyes as well, now.

"Are you ok?" I asked, wiping a tear away as it fell down her cheek. "What are you crying for?" I pulled her back into a hug.

"Seeing you cry kills me. You don't deserve any of this, Jin. If I could change your past, and bring you all the happy memories you should have, I would do it in a heartbeat, really I would," she placed her tiny hand on my arm. She really did have tiny hands. They were almost half the size of mine. It was cute, really. "No wonder you turn to fighting…" she half-smiled.

"Well, partially that, but it's also partially because I feel I've gotten so good at it that it would be a bad idea to let my skill go to waste, you know?" I asked, looking into her eyes. "And now, you and I are going to compete together, which makes it all the more worth it."

She grinned. "Shameless flattery…" she stuck her tongue out. "Absolutely shameless…" she winked at me.

"And you wouldn't have it any other way, would you?" I asked, more confident than I had ever been.

"Now, don't get cocky…let's get back to your place, to practice…" she winked, and jumped down from the branch. The second she jumped down, she realized how big of a mistake it was, though. Her skirt almost flew up, but she caught it just in time, and landed with a thud on the rock. "OW!" she yelled, rolling over, and seeing the blood gushing from her knee.

I decided to be the valiant knight, and save the day. I jumped down from the branch, and scooped Calleigh into my arms. "Let's ride off on my…well…let's walk off," I winked at her.

She laughed, forgetting the pain in her knee. "Sir Kazama? That sounds weird…Lord Kazama? Even weirder. How about you just stay Jin, ok?"

I nodded in agreement. I could hold her like this for the rest of my life, if given the needed amount of time. I was in love, no way around it. But was it safe for Calleigh, to have someone with the devil gene inside of them, love her?

~~

__

Every little thing you do is tragic, all my life before was magic.  
Beautiful girl, I can't breathe…I got a disease.  
Deep inside me, makes me feel uneasy, baby,  
I can't live without you, tell me what am I supposed to do about it?  
Keep your distance from me, don't pay no attention to me,  
I got a disease, and well I think that I'm sick.  
Believe you me, while my world is coming down, honey.  
You taste like honey, honey, tell me can I be your honey?  
Please be strong, I'm telling myself that it won't be long   
'Til I'm free of my disease.  
~~ 'Disease' – Matchbox 20 ~~


	8. Chapter Seven

****

Chapter Seven: Meet the Friends (Calleigh's POV)  
_Author's Note: VERY slight Xiaoyu bashing in this chapter. I like Xiaoyu, though, so don't take it the wrong way. She's actually my 4th favorite character, 4th only to Jin, Hwoarang and Julia._

~~

I was so nervous. I'd gotten every move that I'd known for so long ALMOST perfected, but we had no time left to practice. I was the rookie…the only one who had no idea what she was doing. Everyone else here was clued in, and all knew directly where to go, but I clung to Jin for my life. Girls my age, guys my age, girls twice my age, and a couple guys two or three times my age passed us. Jin glared at almost everyone, except four people who were sitting on a bench. He flashed me a glance, and pulled me to the people. "Hey guys!"

One girl stood up, and smiled. "Jin! We didn't think you were gonna show this time! You weren't on the list until last second last year, and frankly, we freaked out!" the girl looked about eighteen. She was wearing a short, pink dress, and her black hair was in pigtails. "You remember Forrest," she pointed to a Chinese man, who looked in his late twenties. Frankly, if I weren't so stuck on Jin, I'd have thought he was attractive.

"And you don't know Calleigh…" Jin introduced me. "Ling, Julia, Steve, Forrest, this is my friend, and tag team partner, Calleigh Phoenix. Calleigh, these are my friends Ling Xiaoyu, Julia Chang, Forrest Law and Steve Fox," he pointed to each of the people as he introduced them.

"Hi, people whose names it'll take me probably half the tournament to remember…" I laughed and shook each of Jin's friend's hands. 

"Phoenix? Any relation to a Paul Phoenix?" Forrest asked, his arm linked to Ling's. He and Paul used to be close friends, but after the first tag-team tournament, they lost contact. Before that, though, Paul hadn't let Forrest meet me, in fear of us having mutual interest, probably.

"Yeah, Paul is my father. He's not here yet, is he?" I panicked, and hid myself behind Jin.

"You're kidding me, right? You're related to Paul Phoenix?" a girl in a jean outfit (consisting of a midriff, zip-up shirt with a white top underneath and flare jeans) Julia, I remembered, asked, pulling me out from behind Jin. "How? He's so…eh…and you're so pretty!" she was trying not to offend me. I knew my father wasn't the most attractive person on Earth, so it hadn't.

Julia was the second friendliest person I'd ever met; second only to Jin, of course. She had a comforting nature in her voice, which made you always able to talk to her. "I got my looks from my mother…I think, anyway," I laughed, and shook my head at Julia.

Ling joined Julia and I in conversation. She lacked some of the maturity that Julia and I had, but she was well on her way. I was sure it could have been much worse. "So, he's your dad? Why haven't you been in any of the other tournaments, then?" Ling asked, a curious look crossing her face.

"Paul is probably overprotective of her, Ling…" Julia pulled her glasses off her face and cleaned them on her white shirt. It was then plain to see for me that Julia was the perceptive one of the group, while Ling still had a lot to learn. "Am I right, Calleigh?"

"Yeah, he wouldn't even let me ask about fighting…" I shrugged, and shook my head. "My cousin told my dad that he wanted to be a vale tudo fighter, and my dad told him never to mention it around me. I hated it…because I love my arts."

"What arts do you do?" Ling asked, sitting on the bench, after the guys had cleared it. They were now standing about five feet away, laughing and talking. Probably about women, and whose asses they'd kicked over the past couple months or so.

"Hakke-sho, hakkyoku-ken and tae kwon do…" I told them, with a smile on my face. I was very proud of myself for knowing three arts, whereas most people only knew one or two. "Pretty much self taught…" I was still very aware, looking around for any sign of my father. If he saw me here, I was pretty much roasted.

"I do hakkyoku-ken, too…and Ling does hakke-sho…" Julia explained, smiling back at me. "We could all practice together, with someone else in the tournament, named Hwoarang. He does tae kwon do, too…" 

I cringed at the name Hwoarang, then looked over at Jin. Ever since Jin had told me that Hwoarang was out for his blood, I had looked up pictures of him, Nina Williams, Heihachi and Kazuya Mishima, so I knew who I would really want to show my skills to in fighting. Jin seemed nonchalant to the fact that he was in an environment where people hated him. I admired that. I looked back at Julia and Ling, and shrugged Julia's comment off with a, "Maybe," not wanting to cause a stir. 

Ling looked over my shoulder, and pointed. "Look, Calleigh…it's your father!" she told me, a little louder than I may have liked her to. "Should we go get him?"

"NO!" I yelled, in a whispering voice. "No, Ling…he doesn't know I'm here!" I rushed behind a tree, and peered out at my father, who was talking to somebody who looked a lot like Forrest, only older. His father, I assumed. "Oh my god, guys! Can one of you get Jin, please?" I signaled to one of my two new acquaintances.

Julia nodded, and walked over to Jin. After a couple seconds, Jin, Steve and Forrest were over next to the tree with Julia, Ling and I. "What's wrong, Calleigh?" he asked me.

"Look…it's my dad…what do I do?" I panicked, and pointed to where my father stood.

Jin thought for a second. "Hold on…Forrest can you go distract them, while we sneak off, or something?" he asked, then shifted his attention from me to Forrest, who was thinking for a second. 

Forrest nodded in agreement. "Sure…just give me a second," he thought of a plan. "When I crack my knuckles, you guys can sneak off. But don't go until I do, ok?"

Jin and I nodded. "Thank you, Forrest…you're a lifesaver," I smiled at him, then looked at Jin. "And thank you for thinking so quickly…"

Jin flashed me the smile that melted me. "Anytime, Calleigh," he leaned against the tree, hiding whatever of my arm that was still visible. "Ok…Forrest just signaled. Let's go!" he grabbed my arm, and pulled me away from all the commotion.

Jin was a lifesaver, and every time I was around him, it was almost as though I loved him more and more. He'd gotten me out of another jam, and without him, I would have definitely been toast. But, the drama wasn't over yet…


	9. Chapter Eight

****

Chapter Eight: The First Round of Battles (JIN'S POV)

We hid in a crowd. The chances of Paul finding the terrified Calleigh with me in a crowd were very slim. She clung to me like a girl would to her boyfriend, not that it bothered me. She smelled good, like perfume and shampoo mixed together. I was taking in her scent, when it struck me. In fifteen or so minutes, our names would be called over the intercom. If Paul heard the names Calleigh Phoenix and Jin Kazama together, he would blow a gasket, and come searching for us. I tugged Calleigh's arm gently, and brought her close to me, then whispered this sudden revelation into her ear.

"Oh, God!" she covered her mouth and thought for a second. "Jin…what have I gotten us into?" she asked, closing her eyes. "Maybe we should come up with an alias for me, and tell the people at the booth before they announce it?" she thought. "Do you think that would work?"

I was surprised at how well she pieced together a tough situation. "Let's go…quick…" I nodded, and pulled her out of the crowd. We rushed to the booth, hand in hand. Before we got there, I pulled my jacket off and threw it over her, so she wouldn't be recognized as someone who'd already signed up. Calleigh was too far out of breath to speak, so I took over for her. "Who do you have down as Jin Kazama's partner?" I asked, kind of short of breath myself.

"Um, Calleigh Phoenix, why?" the woman asked, glancing up from the paper to me. "Do you need a change?"

"Yes, please. Can you change that to…" I thought quickly of a name. "Katelyn Williams?" the first name that came to mind was that of my rival, Nina Williams. "Please?" I looked at Calleigh.

"Certainly…is this Miss Williams?" the woman turned her head to Calleigh, who nodded in reply. The woman then continued. "I need you to fill out these forms, then. Miss Phoenix had to as well."

I heard Calleigh breathe a deep sigh of relief, then lean into me, still trying to catch her breath. "Ok…" she disguised her voice as well as she could, by raising the pitch. It was funny, though, to hear her talk like Ling. She took the pen, and started to reapply to fight.

About thirty seconds after we'd walked away from the booth, we heard, "Fight one, Bryan Fury and Lee Chaolan versus Jin Kazama and Katelyn Williams, all combatants please report to the arena…"

Calleigh gave me a look of pure horror. She was nervous, and making it blatantly clear. "You can't be nervous like this in front of Bryan. He takes advantage of nervousness, Calleigh…" I explained to her. "I'm going to tell you one thing before we get too far into this. Not all of the combatants here are human. King of Iron Fist tournaments always have a lot of different species," I told the purely shocked Calleigh, whose jaw might as well have hit the floor.

"Not human?" she asked, seemingly horrified. "What, like kitty cats and puppy dogs and stuff? I'm not kicking a puppy…"

I laughed at the thought of a domesticated animal entering the tournaments. "We have a bear, a few robots, a heavily armored ninja that looks like a skeleton covered in armor, people with cheetah's as heads…"

Calleigh's eyes were wide as we entered the arena. "Lovely…and you just happened to leave these details out when you asked me to be your partner?" she asked, with a little laugh. "Thanks, Jin…"

I felt the grin cross my face, as I took my place in front of Bryan Fury for the first round of the first fight. "Not a problem, Cal-…Katelyn…" I turned to Bryan and Lee, and we all did an introductory move. Lee nodded his chin at Calleigh and I menacingly, while Bryan punched at the air, Calleigh bowed and in a small voice, said 'Oh-yah!' and I adjusted my arm guards, and said, "Koy…"

I got a few good punches in at Bryan, until he got scared, apparently, and tagged Lee in. I laughed, and mumbled a, "Chicken ass!" to Bryan as he ran away.

After only five seconds, Lee had kicked me three times, and I started to feel dizzy. Much to my relief, Calleigh shouted out, "JIN! TAG ME, NOW! COME ON!" and started to jump up and down.

I rushed out of Lee's reach, and tagged Calleigh's hand. Calleigh ran in, and did what she did best. A few swift kicks, and Lee was rushing to tag Bryan, who she almost instantly K.O.ed. She grinned. "Don't mess with me, buddy…" she said, as she came back to me, and we waved at the audience to celebrate victory.

While waiting for Lee and Bryan to be ready for round two, Calleigh put ice on the lump that had formed on my head. "Damn him…I want to go in first this time. Give that piece of shit a piece of my mind!" she complained, and cracked her knuckles. "No one hurts my friend, and gets to brag…"

Her friend…I was her friend. For awhile there I'd stupidly convinced myself that we were more. Calleigh and I were only friends. I had convinced my head of that, but would I ever be able to convince my heart? I knew that Calleigh and I would be great together, but somehow, I had to convince myself to take action. Here I was, faced with a beautiful, smart, funny, incredibly strong, sweet and caring woman, and I had no idea what to do with myself. When would I know? When it was too late?

The second I'd nearly gotten all of my thoughts collected, I was interrupted by a sharp tug on my arm. "Jin, come on. We're about to start round two!" Calleigh grinned. "And I'm going first, whether you like it or not!" she ran up to the spot I had been standing in minutes ago, and did her introductory move again. Within two seconds, Bryan had sent her flying across the arena, and she was rushing to tag me. "Dang! Is he human?" she asked, as her hand touched mine.

"Cyborg…" I explained, as I ran out and took over Calleigh's spot. After a long raging battle back and forth, Bryan and I both ran to tag Calleigh and Lee. "You feeling any better?" I asked her before I touched her hand.

"Yeah, I'm fine…" she reached up and tagged my hand, then ran in to fight with Lee. Again, within seconds, she had him writing on the ground in pain, and then the next thing Bryan and I knew, Lee was knocked out again. "Thank you, thank you!" she grinned as she walked back to me, and we gave each other five, which turned into a hug. "And all thank you's should go to my tremendously wonderful training partner and friend, Jin Kazama, for without him there would be no Call-…Katelyn Williams…"

I laughed at Calleigh's near blunder, then took my own bow. "I tried so hard to make her strong, but it just wouldn't work!" I joked, then was struck in the arm by a gentle touch. I laughed, then said, "See what I mean?"

She scoffed, then shoved me to the ground. "You're asking for it, Jin…" she stuck her tongue out.

This was going to be an interesting tournament, that was a sure thing…a tournament full of ups and downs. But as long as I had Calleigh to go through it all with, I would be ok. 


	10. Chapter Nine

****

Chapter Nine: The Jig Is Up (Calleigh's POV)

The next five bouts were just as simple as the first. Jin and I dominated as a team, and all in all, I was beyond glad he chose me as a partner. Just before ending the final round of the sixth bout, with Nina and Anna Williams, I turned around and flashed Jin a devious grin. Nina was standing before me, awaiting my next move, and I wanted to take her by complete surprise. Any other time, I would have been classy and cool about everything, but she picked the wrong guy to vendetta against. I went into hypnotist stance, which is when I menacingly walk in a circle around my opponent, and then wound up, and gave her the hardest shoulder tackle I had ever given in my life. Nina clutched her left side, and fell to the ground in pain. Another KO for the Kazama/Williams (or, in all technicality, Kazama/Phoenix) team.

I turned around, and approached Jin, placing my arm around his shoulders and smiling wide. We gave the crowd a victorious wave, and Jin lifted me into the air. As soon as I touched the ground, I turned to him, and gently shoved him. "I wonder who we're fighting next…" I eagerly shouted.

He smiled at me, but I could tell he was the slightest bit distracted. "I don't know, but after the next fight, we're fighting my father and grandfather. I'm warning you now, they don't go lightly on people…"

"I can handle it!" I nodded, then cracked my knuckles, and anticipated the announcement of our next opponents. "If I can handle the cat sisters, there…I can handle anyone!" I grinned, then started to tap my foot.

"Round seven will be Jin Kazama and Katelyn Williams versus Marshall Law and Paul Phoenix. Will all combatants please report to the beach arena?" a woman's voice came over the intercom. "I repeat, Jin Kazama, Katelyn Williams, Marshall Law and Paul Phoenix, please report to the beach arena…"

I covered my mouth, and sighed. "I should've seen this coming, shouldn't I?" I asked, moving my glance to Jin, from the intercom. "What are we going to do, or do I just have to face the music?"

Jin's confidence was unwavering, as he pulled his jacket off again, and put it over my head. "Just tie the strings tight enough so that you can see him, but he can't see you…" he explained to me, a smile on his face.

I grinned, then tied the strings the way Jin told me to. "You're a genius, have I ever told you that?" I asked, hopping onto his back, and wrapping my arms around his neck. "To the beach arena!" I ordered.

Jin laughed. "What are you two?" he asked, holding onto my legs, then walking toward the beach arena. "Oh, wait, let me guess…you just fought a strenuous battle with the cat sisters, and you think you deserve a break before fighting your overprotective, overbearing father?"

I laughed, and nodded. "That sounds good to me. I was going to go with the fact that I'm just lazy, but I like your way better…" I rested my head atop his, ruining his 'just rolled out of bed look.'

When we got to the beach arena, Jin dropped me to the sand. "This is where you get off…" he grinned, as he looked at my hooded face. "Ooh, now who's got the air of mystery thing going for them?" he asked me, jokingly.

I grinned idiotically. "Damn right I do!" I spoke a little louder and clearer than I probably should have. "The inner machinations of my mind are an enigma-…" **(LMAO I'm quoting Spongebob in a fanfic…so help me Lord…)**

Jin almost fell to the ground laughing. "Please tell me you understood at least a word of that last sentence, Cal?"

"I did, so shut up!" I stuck my tongue out. "As I was saying, though, before I was so RUDELY interrupted…no one knows who I am, or what I do…or how I act, how I speak or how I think-…"

"CALLEIGH?" I heard my father's voice ring from right behind me, and whirled around immediately. "What in the hell are you doing here? I thought I told you to stay away from ANY tournament!" he asked, as his long hair got in my face, as he stared me down.

My hand immediately covered my mouth. "How did you know it was me?" I asked, backing up a step. "You couldn't see my face or anything…"

"Lee Chaolan told me he saw you, and said you'd be hanging out with Kazama…" he glared at Jin. "Another rule broken…"

"Ok, dad…A. Jin is my friend…B. I'm a damn good fighter, I've made it this far, haven't I? And C. HOW in the HELL did Lee Chaolan know it was me? I didn't even know he existed before today, and I have a code name!" I pulled back a finger at each point I made.

"Lee did some research for me, because I kind of got the idea that you were thinking of rebelling when I saw you sneak off with Kazama a month or two ago…" he nodded his head toward Jin, who was already in fighting stance. "You should have stayed in the dark, you know? You'd have been way more successful…"

"Well, I'm here…and we're going to fight, so take it or leave it!" I told him, crossing my arms at my chest. "And I suggest you take it, because if you leave it? I'll fight you when you're unsuspecting!"

Jin came up behind me, and gave me a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "Calm down, Calleigh…we still have to fight with them, you know?" he told me, pulling me back away from my father. "Not that I think we'll lose, but the more you taunt, the harder he'll come down on you…"

I sighed, and nodded at Jin, knowing he was right. "You can go first, ok? Just so I can regain my composure?" I pleaded.

"Sure…" he put his hand on my shoulder, then took the fighting position. He looked at my father, his eyes narrowing more with every nanosecond.

My father cracked his neck, popped his knuckles, the pointed at Jin and said, "You're going down, Kazama…"

Jin adjusted his arm guards, went back into fighting stance, and "Not if you go down first." 

I could barely watch. I didn't want to see my father hurt Jin. I knew Jin was very skilled, but I also knew that my father was near unbeatable. After a couple quick punches from Jin, he pulled out his ace in the hole, as he called it, the burning fist. He pulled back his fist, concentrated all of his energy to it, then knocked Jin to the ground at my feet. Jin's nose and lip were bleeding, and he had the imprint of my father's ring on his cheek. He looked up at me, ready to reenter the fight, until I reached down and grabbed his hand, forcing him to tag me. "Calleigh!" he yelled after me.

I came on strong, shocking my father with the quickest ten-hit-combination he'd ever seen. Then, as soon as he hit the ground, I spun around, and kicked him in the ankles twice. I knew you had to hit him quickly, because he could pretty much kill you with three or four hits with his fists. As soon as I stood back up straight, I was knocked in the nose with a brutal uppercut. My body flushed with anger, as I did yet another hypnotist stance, and then a spin kick, knocking him out.

I rushed back to Jin, to see if he was ok. "Jin?" I asked, wiping a spot of blood from his lip. "Are you all right?"

"You should have let me go back in…now your father thinks I'm weak!" Jin snapped, standing up.

"It's better to be weak than stupid!" I yelled, looking at my father, who glared right back at me. If there were any gene I received from him, they were my drive, determination and anger. "He didn't even tag Marshall in! Plus, we both know full well you're not weak."

Jin sighed, and wiped the blood from under my nose. "Are you all right?" he popped his knuckles, then took a drink of water, ready to fight my father again.

"I asked you first!" I grinned slightly at him. "But I'm fine, thanks…what about you?" I asked, grabbing the water from his hand and sipping at it.

"Ok, then…and I'm ok, too…" he went back to the fight area, only to be standing face-to-face with Marshall Law, rather than my father. Regardless, he opened with a double high kick, and then a roundhouse, to send Marshall away from him a couple feet. He then got a chance to contemplate his next move for a split second.

Marshall responded with a flip-kick, and another punch than sent Jin flying back almost into me. He stood up, and didn't give me the chance to tag him. He rushed back into the arena, and kicked Marshall in the face, causing him to tag my father in.

My father knocked Jin back into me again, and he willingly tagged me this time. "I don't think I can take your father down…" he told me as his hand touched mine. He sounded very discouraged.

"I'll do it in your honor, then…" I smiled at him, then rushed to fight my father. For some reason, I was filled with anger, and fought viciously. My father didn't get a move in, and in about fifteen seconds, he was knocked out on the ground. I glared angrily at him, then turned to walk back to Jin. "I got my revenge…" I smiled, as I got into his earshot.

Jin and I waved to the audience again, and when we finished, he looked at me. He looked nervous, like he had just realized something that may incriminate him in the future. He seemed to shrug it off, and looked at me and said, "Shall we go to the next bout?"

I nodded, wondering what could be so serious. I was going to find out soon enough. And it would hit me harder than a ton of bricks…


	11. Chapter Ten

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Chapter Ten: The Devil Gene Strikes Again (Jin's POV)

Calleigh was about twenty feet away from me, talking to Christie Montiero, Ling and Julia. She fit in, just as I'd expected her to. I would have been talking to Forrest, Steve and my other friend, Eddy Gordo, but my mind was on something else. Tell Calleigh about the devil gene, or try my damnedest to keep it hidden? I was wearing a bulky jacket, so I was probably set. I looked over at her. She was so beautiful. Her long hair was pulled into a ponytail, and it fell to her shoulders, which were covered with a form fitting, orange, spaghetti-strap shirt. The shirt covered the belt loops of her dark-navy-blue, flare jeans. I looked from her, to my father and grandfather, who were both shooting me menacing glances. I ignored them, and walked up to Calleigh. "You ready, Calleigh?"

She looked from Julia to me. "Just a second, ok?" she took Julia aside, and started to talk softly. I got the feeling it involved me, and when Julia looked toward me, then glanced away quickly my feeling doubled. I just remained where I was, and waited for Calleigh to return. She came back, flashed me a reassuring smile, and nodded quickly. "I'm ready now…"

I walked with her to the middle of the floor, where we were face to face with my father and grandfather. Calleigh seemed shockingly unthreatened. "You know what?" she directed to my father. "You're really not as all terrifying as everyone makes you out to be!"

My father flashed her a menacing smile, which made his red eye glint a little. "You really think so, Miss Phoenix?" he asked her, trying to threaten her, I assumed.

It didn't work. Calleigh stood her ground, and laughed out loud at my father's pathetic attempt. "Yes, really…and you, Heihachi? You try to be all powerful and menacing…frankly, you couldn't scare the skin off a snake!" she looked at my grandfather.

Heihachi glared angrily at her, and growled like a mad dog. "I'll break your neck, little girl!" he shouted.

Calleigh's facial expression changed from amusement to pure laughter. "Ok, wow…let's just get this over with…" she grinned, and we did our opening moves.

I started the fight out, against my father. He punched me nine times in a row, screaming, "YOU WILL GIVE ME YOUR PART OF THE GENE!" 

I retaliated with a punch, only to be sent flying back to Calleigh, who I didn't really want to tag, but she beckoned for me to. "Jin, you're in pretty bad shape…I can take them, I know I can!" she pleaded with me.

I reached up and tagged her, knowing almost immediately that it was a mistake. She got one kick into my father, and then he did a nine-hit-combination on her, and tagged my grandfather in, who also did a nine-hit-combo, and knocked Calleigh out, and knocked her hair right out of the ponytail. I rushed out to her, and knelt by her side. "Calleigh? Calleigh, are you ok?" I shook her gently. "Calleigh, wake up! I shouldn't have tagged you in!"

Calleigh shook her head gently, and sat up. "I need a drink of water, and I'll be fine…" she told me, as she reached behind me for the water jug. "Damn, I took quite a fall right there, didn't I?"

"Yeah, you going to be ok?" I asked, helping her to her feet. There was no way I was tagging her in to get abused like that again. She neither wanted, nor deserved that. "Because round two is about to start."

"Yeah, I'm fine…go ahead," she sat down, ready if I absolutely needed to tag her. I think she knew I wasn't going to. "Be careful, ok?" she asked, her hair covering her eyes.

I nodded, then walked up to my father. "You messed with the wrong girl, that time, Kazuya!" I exclaimed, punching my father, and again being hit with a harsh punch in the face. I popped my jaw, and retaliated with a jump kick. After ten minutes of battle with each my father and grandfather, I gave in, and collapsed to the ground.

~~

I woke up to see Calleigh standing about three feet away from me, with a terrified look in her eyes. Both my father and grandfather had left by this time. I looked down at myself. The black marks that only appear when my devil gene kicks in were all over my chest. They looked like very well drawn tattoos. I stood up, and approached Calleigh, to try to explain it all to her.

She took a step back away from me. "What are you?" she asked, accusingly. "What in the HELL are you?" she screamed. Pure terror and anger filled her eyes. "You're not Jin…where in the hell is Jin?"

I expected this to happen, so I took her screaming in stride, and took another step toward her, only to have her back away again. "Calleigh…" I pleaded. "Please, just let me explain…" I took another step toward her.

"Stay where you are!" she backed up another step. "Don't come any closer!" she went into fighting stance. "I'm serious!"

When my eyes hit her, my heart softened, and the devil gene seemed to subside for a second. When the black marks on my chest and forehead disappeared, Calleigh put her hand over her mouth. "Oh my God…it really was you? Ok, WHAT the hell is going on here?"

I sighed, knowing the second I told her the whole story, she'd turn away. "Ok, if you want to know, I'll tell you…" I started to explain what would be a long story. "You see…my father has this thing called a devil gene living in him," I paused, and looked at Calleigh, who's jaw was hanging practically to the floor. "He has two forms…Kazuya and the Devil…and he can revert back and forth between the two."

Calleigh was having a hard time swallowing this, I could tell. "So, what you're trying to tell me is…you have this devil gene, too?" she asked, not believing the words that were coming from her own mouth.

"Yeah," I explained. "But I don't revert back and forth unless I'm really, really angry…" I knew Calleigh would turn away from me. I hated everything about the devil gene. If there was some way to make it completely clear and make her believe me, that I did, I would have done it in a heartbeat.

"So…I was just teamed up with the DEVIL'S SON?" she screamed, and then started to cry. "I defended the DEVIL'S SON to my father? And I got myself KICKED out of my house for the DEVIL'S son?"

"No, you did all those things for Jin Kazama!" after saying that, I felt truly flattered. She did all these things for me, and what had I given her in return? A hell of a lot of heartache, that's what. "Please, Calleigh…can we work through this? I don't want to lose you as a friend. You mean so much to me!"

She ran her hand through her hair, and choked back a stream of tears that I knew would be everlasting. "Jin Kazama…or whoever the hell you are…" she started, in a sentence I knew would break my heart. "I never want to see your face again. And the only way I'll ever see you again is if it's in one of these tournaments, got it?" I could tell she was choking these words out, and not really feeling them. But the second they left her lips, she stormed out of the room in a huff, and I didn't see her again for the longest time.


	12. Chapter Eleven

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Chapter Eleven: Tomorrow (Inspired by an Avril Lavigne song)

~~

It had been almost a year since I'd seen Jin. I don't know why I felt as empty as I did, but for some reason, I felt like I had done something wrong. I don't know why I felt like that, but something told me that leaving Jin there like that was the worst mistake I'd ever made. I had loved him, though, and he managed to somehow hide the fact that he had devil blood running through him? I don't know. I've always been such a stickler for honesty, and when I'm deceived, or lied to, I tend to take it harsher than I probably should. 

I had loved Jin, and I probably still did, too. I couldn't stop thinking about the constant nights spent talking at the tree, where we bonded, and talked, and the constant days training when he told me I was capable of anything, I just had to have the want inside me to actually do it. But when I thought of all the wonderful times, it reminded me of the only terrible time we really ever had. When the devil gene came through onto him, and he told me what it was, I felt like someone had stabbed me through the heart.

At times, I wondered where he was, and if he was alone. I wondered if he had found someone willing to accept the devil gene. I bet if I'd actually thought my actions through that night, I would still be friends with him. Maybe even more, if I thought deeply enough about it. My mouth went off before my mind could think through the proper thing to say, though, and I wound up killing the best thing that I'd ever had in my life. A couple times, I wondered if he'd even remembered me. Jin had made me happy, and I threw it all away. I repeated that over and over in my mind, trying to grasp the fact that it had actually happened.

I had been staying with Christie Montiero and Eddy Gordo for the past six months, and they had been great. Christie was always there for me when I needed someone to talk to, and Eddy was always trying to reassure me that I did the right thing about Jin. He wasn't very successful, though. I knew I had been too quick to speak, but I couldn't help it. You try finding something like that out, and keeping your cool. Not easy, let me reassure you.

On one particular day, though, thoughts of Jin plagued my mind more than ever. I looked at the calendar, and started to cry when I found out that it was the anniversary of the day that I first met him. No one could even talk to me. I lay in my room crying and thinking about every moment Jin and I had ever shared almost all day that day. I felt so different. Normally, I could handle the pain. But, I think the reason this killed me as much as it did was that Jin had saved me, in a manner of the word. He had saved me from my solitude, and he had saved me from never knowing my true calling.

~~

The sun was shining, the summer flowers and plants filled the atmosphere and the warmth of the air was beautiful. I looked out the window at Christie and Eddy, who were just getting back home from the store. Christie seemed to be holding a letter in her hand, and Eddy was holding some sort of flyer. I met them at the door, and opened it for them, considering they were each carrying heavy bags. I lightened both of their loads, by taking one grocery bag from each of them. "What's up, guys?" I asked, looking at Christie, who was now holding the letter out to me.

"This came in the mail for you, Cal. It has no return address…" she explained, waiting for me to take the letter from her hand.

I took the letter from Christie's hand. It sounded trivial and trite, but the first thing I thought of when the letter entered my general area, was the fact that it smelled like Jin. "I wonder who it could be from. No one knows I live with you guys except Jules and Ling, and they always put a return address on their letters."

Eddy set his grocery bags on the table, and sat down. "Why don't you open it and find out?" he asked, sliding down in the booth to make room for both Christie and I.

Christie sat down, and I sat down after her. "I will, just give me a second…" I stuck my tongue out at Eddy, and carefully opened the envelope. The next thing I recognized was Jin's handwriting. Whoever this was had handwriting almost identical to Jin's. I began to read. "It's dated the fifteenth of May, and in parentheses on the top, it says, 'You have no idea how long it took me to convince myself to send this! It's actually the thirteenth of June, now! It took me almost a month, but here it is…'" I went on, and read the actual letter. 'Dear Calleigh, How have you been? It's been so long since we've talked. I know, you probably like it that way, but I wish there was some way I could change that…" I paused before reading the next sentence. "In case you hadn't noticed, which you probably have, this is Jin. I feel like an idiot, because I really don't know what to say. The past year has been so hard on me. If I could take everything back, and tell you about the devil gene the day I told you about everything else, I would. Your friendship meant more to me than anything else in the world has. I hope that if we see each other at the next tournament, we can talk, and maybe even be friends again. I would have left a return address, but I know you probably wouldn't have read this if my name was on it. I'll see you around sometime, Jin Kazama."

Christie was nearly in shock. "Are you ok, Calleigh?" She looked at me, knowing I would probably be in uncontrollable tears, which I was. She hugged me, and let me cry. "You'll be fine, Calleigh. You're strong…"

Seeing all those things written on paper flushed so many memories back into my head, and I couldn't stop myself from wanting to see Jin again. I hated him, but I loved him so much. How could someone with the devil gene in them have such an effect on me? I swallowed back the lump in my throat, and looked to Eddy, who was holding the flyer in his hands still. "What's that for, Eddy?" I asked.

"It's for the sixth tournament…" he explained, setting the flyer in front of me. "Are you going to sign up?"

I stared blankly at the flyer. 'The King of Iron Fist Tournament Six…grand prize: whatever your heart desires. To enter, come to the newly built Heihachi Mishima Iron Fist Arena, in New York City on June seventeenth,' I didn't need to see another word. I was entering the tournament, and I would see Jin again, no matter what it took.

~~

__

And I wanna believe you when you tell me that it'll be ok.  
Yeah, I try to believe you, but I don't.  
When you say that it's gonna be, it always turns out to be a different way.  
I try to believe you, not today.  
I don't know how I'll feel tomorrow (tomorrow).  
I don't know what to say, tomorrow, tomorrow is a different day.  
It's always been up to you, it's turning around, it's up to me.  
I'm gonna do what I have to do, just don't.  
Give me a little time, leave me alone a little while,  
Maybe it's not too late, not today.  
~~ 'Tomorrow' – Avril Lavigne ~~


	13. Chapter Twelve

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Chapter Twelve: If You're Not The One (JIN'S POV – Again, inspired by a Daniel Bedingfield song)

I missed Calleigh…plain and simple, or maybe I should say, pain and difficult. I was completely alone now, and I had completely disassociated myself from almost all people, aside from people I chanced to meet in the grocery store. I had a picture of Calleigh wearing my jacket, which I'd managed to get from her tournament profile. I still kept that jacket, mainly because Calleigh had worn it, and it was one of the few reminders I had left of her. Her scent had faded from it, but I still kept it because it was a reminder of what I could have had. Could have…if it wasn't for the devil gene that had inhabited itself in my blood. That girl was the best thing to ever happen to me, and now she was gone. I should have just told her about the devil gene when I had the chance, but I had to wait, and wreck everything. 

If she wasn't right for me, why did I feel like my entire world had collapsed in one day? I knew something was seriously wrong. She was only my friend, and I was taking it like we had been an item for years and years. Had I really loved her that much? Was I stupid enough to need to ask that? Of course I loved her, and I still did, too. Of course, I guess I should have seen this coming, then, because everything I love in my life gets taken from me sooner or later. My mother was gone, and she had been gone most of my life. Heihachi had betrayed me in numerous ways. Kazuya wanted me dead, and now I'd lost Calleigh due to my own stupidity. I stared out the window, wondering if Calleigh had gotten my letter yet. There were so many more things that I wanted to say, but I didn't know how to word them. I wanted to tell her that I loved her, and that I wanted to be with her for the rest of my life, but if I'd said that, she would have thrown the letter away. I sighed, and stood up to put a movie into the VCR. I figured that would take my mind off of her. I chose 'The Jackal,' one of my all time favorites, and put it into the VCR.

I sat back down, and pushed play. Just thinking about her, tears welled up in my eyes, and my heart started to ache. I imagined her telling me not to cry, and holding me close to her. Calleigh was the most amazing woman I would ever meet. How could I have just let her get away like that? I reached over to my right, and held the picture of her in my hand. She was so beautiful. Even with my jacket over her head, she looked like an angel. I hated myself. I just felt like keeling over to die right there. No one would have known I was gone, so what difference would it have made?

Ok, I'll admit it, I was depressed. But wouldn't you be? Losing an angel because of the devil (literally), wouldn't you be depressed? I let the tears flow down my cheeks, but unlike the last time I had cried, Calleigh wasn't there to hold me. I leaned into the chair, and cried myself to sleep.

~~

__

"Damn it, Calleigh. Where is Jin?" Kazuya asked Calleigh, holding her by one wrist over a bridge, which led to the Mishima Fortress. "You're the only one he would have told, so why don't you just let out with it now, before I finish you?"

"I don't know, Kazuya!" Calleigh screamed, tears streaming down her cheeks. "If I knew, do you think I'd be here?" it was obvious her grip on Kazuya's wrist was weakening. She rushed to tighten her grip, only to have him loosen his.

"Stupid girl! You'd rather die protecting him, than just tell me where he is?" Kazuya knew that she couldn't hold on for much longer, so he kept his grip as loose as it had been. "If you tell us where he is, we'll let you live!"

"I told you! I don't know!" Calleigh was crying uncontrollably, only to have her grip give in a second later, and fall to her doom on the rock plateau below-…

~~

"CALLEIGH!" I sat bolt upright, in a cold sweat, to the blaring sound of static from my TV. Apparently, my movie was over, and the VCR had shut itself off, leaving the TV snowy. I had slept through the whole movie. Now, that surprised me. "A dream…it was only a dream…" I stared at the TV for a second, and then the sound started to become an annoyance. I got up, and shut the VCR off. I could feel the dried up tears around my eyes, so I went into the bathroom, and washed my face. _You're a mess, Kazama…what if you're hoping for something that will never come back to you? What if you lost her for good? _I asked myself, as I splashed water onto my face. _No, that couldn't have happened. People like Calleigh don't just abandon you. _

That dream had terrified me. I wondered if she was ok, or if something to that effect had actually happened to her. I walked to my door, and looked outside. It was a bright, sunny day, with no clouds in sight. I looked over to my car, and was taken by surprise when I saw a flyer. "They do that in people's driveways now?" I asked myself, as I opened the door, to go get the flyer. The sun took me by surprise. It was really bright, in comparison to the dark demeanor of my house. I blinked two or three times, then headed toward my car. I reached down, and picked up the flyer, and was almost shocked out of existence.

I read to myself. 'Think you got what it takes to be the ultimate fighter? Enter The King of Iron Fist Tournament Six…grand prize: whatever your heart desires. To enter, come to the newly built Heihachi Mishima Iron Fist Arena, in New York City on June seventeenth.' I wondered if Calleigh would be there. Just to be on the safe side, I was going to enter, anyway. You never really know. I was going to find out.

~~

__

Cause, I miss you body and soul so strong that it takes my breath away.  
And I breathe you into my heart and pray for the strength to stand today.  
Cause I love you, whether it's wrong or right,  
And, thought I can't be with you tonight, you know my heart is by your side.  
I don't wanna run away, but I can't take it, I don't understand.  
If I'm not made for you then why does my heart tell me that I am?  
Is there any way that I can stay in your arms?  
~~ 'If You're Not The One' – Daniel Bedingfield ~~


	14. Chapter Thirteen

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Chapter Thirteen: My All (Title Taken from a song by the one-the only…Mariah Carey. Calleigh's POV)

It was tournament time, and I'd managed to convince myself that seeing Jin would be ok, and that I could handle it. I looked around. I wasn't a rookie anymore. I knew everyone here, and I felt comfortable, for the most part. I sat two feet from the entrance, watching it, and hoping for…well, you know what I was hoping for. It would be the ideal friendship reunion. Like they always show on television. We would see each other, and all the time we spent together would flush back to us, and we'd just hug and cry for hours. I'd stayed up the whole night before, writing a reply to his letter. It was only two pages, but I had gone through so many drafts. I didn't have the address, so I decided to give it to him whenever I saw him. 

I had seen many people I recognized from the previous tournament. I saw Craig Marduk, the vale tudo fighter, Lee Chaolan, who I could have killed the second he walked by me, but the first person I saw that I truly knew was Julia. She walked through the gate, Steve hot on her heels, and it was like they knew I would be waiting there. Julia tugged Steve behind her, and they walked up to me.

"Calleigh?" Julia asked, grinning, as both she and Steve hugged me. "How have you been?" she secretly knew the answer already, but decided to ask anyway, in case it had changed.

"Hey Jules, hey Steve…" I address them both, and gave them a hug. "I've been fine, I guess…" I lied. "How about you guys?"

Steve smiled comfortingly, and shrugged his shoulders. "We've been the same…" he told me, in his thick English accent. "Have you heard from Ling or Forrest?" he asked me, looking around.

I nodded. "Ling is coming, and so is Forrest…apparently, they're seriously involved…" I laughed, and looked at the gate, to see them walking through. "Forrest likes the cradle, and Ling likes the walker…"

Julia laughed, and shook her head. "Oh, come on…it's only seven years difference!" she joked, as they approached us. "Nothing to call the Enquirer about…"

I flashed Julia a grin. It was the most genuine grin I'd given in months. As soon as I looked from Julia back to the entrance, though, it faded away quickly. There he was…the whole reason I was here. Jin walked through the gate, and looked toward us. The second he made contact with me, though, he turned away, and headed off toward the training arena. 

I wanted to walk straight up to him, and tell him everything was all right, and just hug him, like I'd planned out in my head, but I couldn't. I'd done this in my head so many times, but right now, it just wasn't coming out the way I wanted it to. Seeing him brought so many things back, but it also brought back the bad thing. The ONE bad thing, that kept replaying itself in my head. I sighed, and looked away. If he really had devil genes within him, why did he look so hurt? And why hadn't he gotten his revenge on me? Nothing seemed to make sense right now. Maybe I needed a little practice myself. Practicing always cleared my head. How could I clear my head of Jin, by practicing, when Jin was in the practice arena? I didn't know, but it was worth a try.

I looked at Ling, Julia, Steve and Forrest, who were now buried in conversation. "Hey, guys…I'm going to go practice. Anyone want to join me?" I asked, nudging my head toward the practice arena.

Julia looked toward the practice arena, to see Jin walking in. "I'll go with you, Calleigh. Ling, why don't you stay here with the boys, to make sure they don't get lost…" she turned her attention to Ling. She knew that Ling would attract Jin's attention to us, and she knew I didn't want that. I'd have to say that, out of all the people in the tournament, Julia was my best friend. Christie and Ling were my close friends, but I could always talk to Julia. She knew me better than anyone else (now that Jin and I had lost contact), and she really seemed to care.

Ling nodded her head, and linked her arm to Forrest. "See you guys later…" she waved to us, as she, Forrest and Steve walked off.

"So…you're only training to be close to Jin, right?" Julia asked. She knew me so well it scared me. It was like we were twins separated at birth, only we looked nothing alike. "Because you do know he just walked in there…"

I nodded, and shrugged. "That's part of it, yeah…plus, I wanna drop this in his gym bag," I held out the letter to Julia. "I stayed up all night last night writing it…"

"How long is it?" Julia asked, taking the letter from my hand and looking the envelope over. "It doesn't weigh enough to be over two pages…"

"That's because it's not…it's only two pages…" I explained. "I didn't seal the envelope, because I thought maybe you'd look it over for me. Just to, like, tell me if it seems too desperate or whatever…" I asked, sort of pleading with Julia.

"Sure…you want brutal honesty, or just quasi-honesty…" she asked, opening the envelope.

"Brutal…it's the only way I'll know if I'm an idiot for even wanting to give it to him…" I sighed, opening the door to the training arena. Jin was the only other person there, so I decided to be as silent as I could. Then, I remembered that almost nothing could distract him from his training, so I just went back to normal.

Julia read over the letter, and handed it back to me. "Give it to him, Cal…it'll definitely help the situation a lot…" she nodded, and put her arm guards on. "And he needs to know how you really feel, so yes, you should definitely give it to him."

I glanced quickly at Jin, who was beating a sandbag to a pulp on the floor. "I'll be right back…" I told her, bringing the letter toward Jin. I was tempted to hand it to him, but instead, I dropped it into his gym bag, and ran back to Julia. "For some reason, I'm still terrified…"

"Would the fact that he's absolutely mutilating that sandbag have anything to do with it?" Julia asked me, standing behind our sandbag, to protect herself from flying grains of sand headed in our direction.

"That might be it…" I looked at Jin, and everything came back. Everything I had felt, everything we had said…something told me that things were going to be normal faster than I thought.

~~

__

I'd give my all to have just one more night with you.  
I'd risk my life to feel your body next to mine.  
Cause I can't go on living in the memory of our song.  
I'd give my all for your love tonight.  
Baby, can you feel me, imagining I'm looking in your eyes?  
I can see you clearly, vividly emblazoned in my mind.  
And yet you're so far like a distant star I'm wishing on tonight.  
~~ 'My All' – Mariah Carey ~~


	15. Chapter Fourteen

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Chapter Fourteen: Letters and Heroism (Jin's POV)

**__**

Author's Note: Where was Liz? At my grandmother's, and at my friend's house…doing what 18 year olds do…being a teenager! WOOHOO! LOL! Ok, I'm going to take this opportunity to thank my reviewers.  
Kukkaistytot: Thanks a lot for all your feedback. I appreciate it a lot, and you seem to be really enjoying the story.  
Anonymous person: Thanks, LOL. Keep reading, maybe they will.  
Boo and Shmoo: Without you guys, I'd merely be a lost writer in the crowd. You guys always read what I write, no matter how much it sucks. BFFE, guys!  
Soleil: Thanks, I appreciate that a lot.  
Thanks to all of you! And on with Chapter Fourteen!

~~

Seeing Calleigh at the gate to the tournament was awkward. It multiplied the feelings that already existed by about two thousand. So, I decided to train for a bit, then go back to my hotel room before the tournament began, to avoid seeing her again. I walked into the room, and threw my gym bag onto the bed. 

I was staying at the worst hotel in New York City, and frankly, it sucked. I walked over to the TV, and turned it on, to see if there was anything interesting on the 'premium movie channels.' Unfortunately, this hotel's idea of premium movie channels were channels that only played stuff from the fifties and sixties. I reached into my gym bag and pulled out my pants to be washed. But, as soon as they left the bag, an envelope fell out onto the bed. Written in the center, in beautiful handwriting, in purple gel ink was 'For: Jin Kazama. Please read A.S.A.P.,' and in the bottom corner, it said 'From: Calleigh.' I blinked a couple times to be sure I wasn't imagining it all, then finding that I wasn't, opened the envelope.

In that same beautiful handwriting, the following words were written:

****

Jin,  
I don't even know where to begin. First of all, I am so sorry about running off like that. It killed me to do it, but I was just so scared. I had no idea what to do. I thought of you like the perfect man, and then all of a sudden, I hear news like that? You have to understand why I took it so harshly. You do, don't you? I know you do, because you're the most caring and understanding man I've ever met. The second I realized what I had done that day, I just wanted to take it all back, and go and talk things through with you. You're the best friend I have ever had, and I would do anything to go back in time and change everything that happened that day. I know that if I could, we would still be friends today, and closer than ever.

As I read, tears came to my eyes, because everything she was saying was exactly how I felt, too. I flipped the page over and continued reading…

****

It's three a.m., and I've been through six or seven drafts of that first paragraph already (that either means I'm a terrible writer, or I'm really serious about this. I'll hope for the latter). But, I don't think I'll be able to sleep until I have this written, and I convince myself that I should give it to you. That lengthens the time that the situation will take…by a lot. Christie and Eddy are at the door, telling me to go to bed, because my light is keeping them from sleep, but I don't care. It's not like they sleep, anyway. Plus, I need to get everything out. I just wish you hadn't hid this from me, Jin. I really do care so much about you. I think we need to talk…if you see this before then, I think we need to talk after the last bout tomorrow. Meet me outside the practice arena then, ok?

__

Calleigh

All I had to do was say the right things when we talked, and everything would be back to normal. But what if we'd lost too much time as friends to ever trust each other again? I'd always trust her, because Calleigh could never change that drastically. Either way, I still had to wait for tomorrow. Waiting…something I'd never been good at. 

I lay down on the bed, and took the letter out again. It had taken her until three in the morning to write two pages? I laughed a little, and refolded the letter, gently placing it back into the envelope. 

This room was dreary. Very dreary, and the paint on the walls was cracked. Then there was that annoying ticking of the radiator. Any normal person would have been able to handle it, but I'm definitely not a normal person. I glared angrily at the radiator, and grabbed my jacket. "I need a walk anyway…" I told myself, leaving the room, still glaring at the radiator out of the corner of my eye.

New York City at night…not a very joyous place to be. I heard the sound of sirens around every corner, and a bunch of alleys, which I dared not enter. Sure, I'd met Calleigh in an alley, but these alleys seemed a lot less welcoming. Angry voices and breaking beer bottles resounded from each one. Every time I came close to one, I rushed a little more, and ran past it. Until I came to one particular one. I heard a very familiar voice coming from the dark.

"I told you, damn it! I don't have any more money!" Calleigh yelled at about five men, who were closing in on her. "I'm warning you…leave me the hell alone!"

I crept into the alley, to see her going into tae kwon do fighting stance. Slowly and quietly, I prowled behind a pile of boxes, ready to attack of any of them so much as laid a finger on Calleigh's beautiful blonde hair. I wondered slightly if it was my destiny to come out here tonight. Maybe this was where Calleigh and I would reconcile. Maybe if I saved her life, she would see that I'm not a bad person, and not be afraid of me anymore.

One of the men laughed, nearly uncontrollably. "You think we're scared of your little girly slaps and kicks? Please…there are five of us, and only one of you!" he chuckled, then threw a punch at Calleigh, only to have her grab his hand and throw him, head over heels, backward.

"Leave me the hell alone! I'm a tae kwon do, hakke-sho and hakkyoku-ken champion!" she went back into stance, and popped her knuckles.

In about a half second, two of the guys headed toward her to attack her, but just before they reached her, I knocked the boxes over. "Leave her alone!" I yelled, pulling them away from her and standing in front of her.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she whispered to me, seeming quasi-grateful in her tone. "I mean…that didn't come out right…I'm glad you're here, but how did you know I was here?"

I turned my head slightly, and said, "Instinct…plus, I was just going for a walk, and walked by this alley. I recognized your voice," I explained, turning my glance back at her attackers.

"Oh, that makes sense…" she grinned slightly, peering over my shoulder to see what the men were doing now. Now, each of them was giving me an increasingly blank stare. It looked almost like the evolutionary chain of the blank stupid stare. Level one, clueless. Level two, stupidity. Level three, obliviousness. Level four, complete and utter blindness, and level five, the huge bubble of hot air.

"Who the hell are you?" one of them asked me. It was clear to both Calleigh and I that they were all off their gourd, drunk. "And what the hell are you doing here, protecting little miss…person…here?"

"I'm an…acquaintance…of hers, and it's really none of your damn business either way!" I explained, going into stance, and glaring angrily at each of them. I could have sworn I heard Calleigh sigh when I said acquaintance. It hurt me to say it, too, but I didn't know if we were friends or not yet. "What did she do to you to make you in get her face like this?" Secretly, I knew she'd done nothing, but I wanted to hear the lame excuse they'd come up with.

"Well, uh…nothing, really…we just thought maybe she'd have money, and we wanted to maybe get a little action!" the leader grinned at me, hoping I was on the same wavelength as they were.

"Oh, you see…that, my man, was a mistake!" the anger in my glare increased about tenfold, as I pulled back my fist, and hit him in the face as hard as I could. "Why would you want to harm someone as innocent as my friend here?" I glanced back at Calleigh, who was now grinning again.

Within another two seconds, the other four men were attacking me, leaving me no choice but to fight back. After being hit in the face three times, I gave them each a swift punch, and they were all running away for mercy. Calleigh walked around me, and looked at my face. A little spot of blood on my lip, and on my forehead…basically nothing. But not to her. She ripped a little of her sleeve off of her extra-long sleeved shirt, and wiped away a little of the blood on each cut. "You didn't have to do that, you know?" she asked, moving some of my hair from my eyes.

"Yes I did…" I nodded, pushing her hand from my face. "But, must you do that?" I asked, shrugging slightly. "They're only tiny cuts…"

She ignored my brush off, and put her hand back up to my face. "Yes, I must…" she nodded, still wiping more blood away, as we walked out of the alley. We were in for a long night. Long, and full of talking…


	16. Chapter Fifteen

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Chapter Fifteen: Bring Me To Life (Calleigh's POV)

**__**

Alas…here it is my faithful readers…the final chapter in my Tekken romance story…shall I do a sequel? As usual, please give feedback…for what is a writer without feedback?

I knew the second I saw Jin come into that alley that something big was going to happen that night. It was either going to be the remaking or breaking of the greatest friendship I had ever managed to come across. Jin always had this air of sensuality about him, but when he defended me to a group of people who the average man would have been terrified to death of, it increased that sensuality by about a million times. I wiped the blood from his forehead, even after he pushed my hand away, and he grabbed my hand, holding it down to his side. "Do you mind?" he asked.

"Do you?" I retorted, pulling my hand sharply out of his. After about five seconds silence, I returned to my original plan, removing the blood from his face. "You can't be bleeding all over the place!"

"YOU KNOW HOW ANNOYING THAT IS?" he threw a fit like a twelve year old who had just lost his precious Pokemon. "I mean, I know it's womanly instinct and all, but damn! It's like you think I'm incompetent!"

I covered my mouth with my pointer, ring and middle fingers, stifling a laugh. "You know how old you just looked?" I asked, removing my hand from my mouth, and then threw my hands into the air. "Fine…BLEED all over the place, just don't let any of it get on me, got ya?"

He flashed me that grin he always had. It was like he knew it melted me from the inside. He knew, but that was his entire aim. "Definitely…I'll keep my blood away from you…" he chuckled.

"Thank you…" I nodded quickly, suddenly realizing that he was following me back to my hotel. "Um…Jin…is there something you want to talk about?" I asked, grinning, as I assume he suddenly realized where he was going, too.

"Um, well, I was kind of wondering…why don't we just get our talking done right now? I mean, we're both here, and…" he seemed rather nervous. It was funny, really, seeing a man that strong and 'fearless,' that terrified of a woman my size.

I grinned a little more than I had been, then nodded. "Sure…wanna come back to my hotel room, and just chill and talk over a cup of cocoa or something?" I zipped my jacket a little more, suddenly realizing that the bitter chill of New York City air was quite different from the Florida warmth I was used to at Christie and Eddy's house.

"Cocoa? It's not even August yet, Calleigh…" Jin laughed, obviously forgetting I'd spent the last year in Florida, and almost forgotten the chill of midnight. Ok, so it was only about seventy degrees, but it was different from the usual ninety in Florida. "I'll take some Pepsi, though…"

I stuck my tongue out at Jin, who was still constantly making fun of me. We weren't even sure if we were friends again yet, and he still picked on me…not a good start. I didn't really care, though. I knew what I wanted, and it seemed like we were well on our way to getting it. "Leave me alone!" I pouted, and turned into the hotel. "Jules, Christie, Eddy, Steve and I all pitched in to get the master suite…they're probably all sleeping, though…"

"Ok…" I could plainly see Jin's nervousness. It was cute, but unnecessary. He looked at the clerk, who was pretty much asleep on her desk.

"Ah, Miss Phoenix? A visitor?" she asked me, a smile on her face. "How long will he be there?"

I looked at Jin, asking him for an estimate of how long it would take to talk things through. But, instead of just making him more nervous, I answered myself. "Probably the rest of the night…" I knew the presumptuous girl would assume things, so I finished by saying, "And no, nothing is going to happen!" Before she could say another word, I grabbed Jin's arm, and pulled him into the elevator. "I hate how clerks know you for about fifteen minutes, and think they really know you…"

He laughed at me, and nodded a little. In that moment, everything I loved about him came flushing back to me, and everything that frightened me got pushed to the back of my mind. He was just Jin…not the devil's son, or part of the devil…he was just Jin again. He was Jin, with those gorgeous brown eyes, and beautiful black hair. Jin with that pleasantly puzzling air of secrecy; that made me love him all the more. But that much, he couldn't know yet. All he could know right now is that my friendship with him meant more than any devil gene. That he meant more to me than any curse that was placed in him…

We walked into the living room of the suite, and a smile crossed my face. Julia and Steve were curled onto the couch, completely engulfed in a blanket, while Christie and Eddy had made it as far as the floor in front of their room. I shushed Jin, and led him to my room, closing and locking the door after us. "So much for Pepsi…" I whispered, after we were safely hidden away in my room.

He laughed, and shrugged. "I don't care about the Pepsi…it's more the conversation part I was interested in…" he stood by the door, as I sat against the headboard on the bed. "Calleigh, I'm so sorry. I know I should have told you everything when I had the chance, and I really feel like an ass for not taking the opportunity when I had it. You mean so much to me, and losing everything we had would be like losing the best part I ever had of myself. You saved me from the horrible thing I was going to become if I let the evil take me over…and for that I owe-…"

"Have a seat…" I interrupted him, and patted the bed, watching him sit, uncomfortably, on the edge, and sigh. "Jin," I began. "I really only have one thing to say about this whole argument…" I shrugged, and put my hand on his shoulder. "It doesn't matter. You're the best friend I've ever had, and nothing means more to me than putting our friendship back together right now. The devil gene doesn't matter to me, because if you were really a bad person, you could have struck down upon me with the fires from hell, for disagreeing with you, if you really wanted to…" I paused, and looked to him for his reaction. "And you saved me too. You saved me from becoming nothing. You saved me from being locked in my room all the time with no one to talk to. And for that, **I** owe **YOU!**" I reached over to Jin, and pulled him into the warmest hug I'd ever given. "I'm so sorry…"

"I'm sorry too…" he returned my hug, and my apology, and smiled. "Calleigh…thank you so much for looking past everything, and seeing the real me…"

"I didn't have to look…" I lay my head on his shoulder, and waited for the morning to come, so I could have another day where I felt complete again. I had another day with Jin Kazama in my life…another day where I wasn't a lost soul, wondering around in a crowd on millions…

****

THE END!

~~ Is this the end of the Calleigh/Jin story? You tell me! FEEDBACK! ~~


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